Can or container



Nov..- 9, 1937. SEBELL 2,098,763

CAN OR CONTAINER Filed March 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l lnvanTor.

Harry Sahel! byMMiW Nov. 9, 1937. H. SEBELL 2,098,763

CAN OR CONTAINER Filed March 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \nverfion -Harry SebeilbyWMW Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES 2.098.763 can on common Harry Sebell, Boston, Mass, asaignor of one-half to Arthur B. Parker, Lexington, Mass.

Application March 26, 1937, Serial No. 133,194

GClalms.

'This invention relates to containers of the type which have provision for a pouring opening through which the contents of the container may be discharged and which are provided with af ,5 removable and replaceable closure for the pours op n n One object of the invention is to provide a container of this type with a novel form of spout which provides a pouring lip leading from the pouring opening and over which the contents of the container flow as they are being discharged.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of this type in which the spout or pouring lip can be turned from a position in which it is directed inwardly (which is the position of the pouringlip when the can is being packed or shipped) to its operative position in which it is directed outwardly and in which the removable and replaceable closure for the pouring opening serves, when in closed position, to

lock the spout from turning movement.

A further object of the invention isto' provide improvements according to which the removable and replaceable closure is connected to the pour-' ing lip member by a. hinge connection, thus avoiding the possibility that the closure may become lost or replaced when removed from the can.

Other objects of the invention are to improve containers of this type in the particulars hereinafter set forth.

I In the drawings wherein I have illustrated a selected embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical and sectional view through a can showing one stage in the manufacture of the can embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22, Fig. 4; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the can opened and with the contents being discharged over the pouring lip;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the can embodying the invention;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the combined pouring .lip andth closure for the pouring opening; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6, Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 1-1, Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view showing the score line or line of weakness which defines the pouring opening;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view through a can showing a different embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 10'is a section on the line lit-I0, Fig. 11 .showingthe can opened and the closure removed from the closure-receiving opening;

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of Fig. 10; Referring first to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 8 of the drawings, l indicates the can body to one end .of which a can end 2 is attached in some suitable way as by 'means of 5 the double-lock seam 3. The can end is shown as formed with a depressed portion 4, the bottom 5 of which is adapted to be removed or punctured for forming a pouring opening. As herein shown the bottom 5 of the depressed 10 portion 4 is formed with an annular line of weak ness I which may be formed by scoring the bottom, and provision is made for tearing out the portion of the can end which is enclosed by the line of weakness for the purpose of forming the 15 opening 6. A removable and replaceable closure 8, herein shown as of the friction plug type, is employed for closing the pouring opening 6, and one Way of providing for tearing out the portion 5 of the can end which is 20 enclosed within the line of weakness 1 for the purpose of forming the pouring opening 6 is to permanently secure the bottom of the closure 8 to-said portion 5, so that when the closure is first pried loose from the can the bottom 5 of 25 the depressed portion 4 will be torn free from the can along the line of weakness. I have herein shown the closure 8 as spot-welded to the bottom 5 of the depressed portion 4 as indicated The can herein illustrated is of that type hav- 3o ing a pouring lip associated with the pouring opening and so connected to the can as to permit it to be turned from an inoperative position in which it is directed inwardly toward the 35 center of the can to an operative position in I which 'it is-directed outwardly and projects over the edge of the can. One feature of my present invention relates to a novel construction by which the removable and replaceable closure 8 for the 40 pouring opening functions, when in position to close the pouring opening, to lock the pouring lip from turning movement, and another feature of the invention relates to a novel constructionv by means of which the closure 8 is permanently 45 attached to the can by a hinge connection which permits it to be readily moved from a position in which it closes the pouring opening. An advantage resulting fr'om the use of the pouring lip is that when the contents of the can are 50 discharged the liquid will be delivered over the edge of the can and will not collect in the angle II at the periphery of the can end.

The-closure 8 for the pouring opening and the pouring lip may conveniently be made as a single 55 illustrated in Figs. and 6. This combined closure and pouring lip or spout is formed from a sheet metal blank which is deformed to present a neck portion H of a size to fit the side walls of the depressed portion 4 in the can end and a pouring lip or spout member l2 extending therefrom. The blank from which this unit is made is also deformed to present the closure plug 8 which is connected to the sleeve II by the neck portion l3. This combined closure and pouring lip unit may be initially formed to have substantially the shapes shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and it is then assembled with the can by inserting the neck portion l i into the depressed portion 4 of the can end. The neck II is made of a size to fit the side walls l4 of the depressed portion 4, and said neck II and side walls i4 are locked together in some suitable way as by a heading operation which produces the interengaging annular beads IS in the neck and wall l4. This manner of connecting the neck to the walls l4 retains the neck in place' but yet permits it to be turned within the opening as presently to be described. The combined closure and pouring lip unit is first assembled with the can end 2 as shown in Fig. 1, that is, with the pouring lip l2 directed inwardly and with the portion l8 directed outwardly. The closure member 8 is then swung over into its operative position and forced into the neck Ii as shown in Fig. 2, the connection I3 flexing to permit this operation. After the plug closure 8 has been forced home as shown in Fig. 2, then it is spot-welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the bottom 5 of the depressed portion 4 of the can as shown at 9 and the can is then ready for shipment.

It will be understood that the annular score line 'I may be made in the bottom of the depressed portion 4 either before theneck ll of the pouring lip has been inserted into the depressed portion 4 or after the combined plug and pouring unit has been assembled with and secured to the can as shown in Fig. 1. In any event when the can has been filled and sealed and is ready for shipment it presents the appearance shown in Fig. 2 with the closure 8 fitting within the neck II and spot-welded or otherwise permanently secured tothe bottom 5 of the depressed portion 4 of the can end.

The opening of the canv involves prying upwardly on the closure 8, the latter preferably being provided with a bead H at its edge to permit this operation to be performed. The application of an upward prying force on the closure 8 will tear the bottom-of the depressed portion 4 along the line of weakness I and will result in forcing the closure-tout'of the neck II as shown in Fig. 3. The connecting portion l3 constitutes a hinge connection for the closure which permits it to have an upward swinging movement as shown in Fig. 3. The portion 5 of the can end which has been torn loose from the can along the line of weakness will remain attached to the bottom 01 the plug.

After the can has thus been opened then the combined pouring lip and closure 8 may be turned within the wall I4'oi' the depressed portion from the position shown in Fig.2 wherein the pouring lip is directed inwardly to the position shown in dotted lines Fig. 4 and in full lines Fig. 3, wherein the pouring lip i2 projects over the edge of the can.

When the can isthus opened and the comunit or unitary structure, one form of which is into the position in Fig. 3 there is provided a pouring opening and apouring lip leading therefrom and extending over the edge of the can. This pouring lip is preferably slightly concave transversely as shown in Fig. 7 and it forms a spout or pouring lip over which the contents of the can flow as the can is being emptied.

If it'is desired to discharge only a portion of the contents of the can, then when the desired amount has been poured out the plug closure may be reinserted into the neck/ ll thereby closing the pouring opening with a tight friction fit. The neck connection l3 provides a construction which permits the closure 8 to be repeatedly removed from thepouring opening or replaced therein, and hence the closure will always be connected to the can so long as the can is in Since the closure is permanently connected to the sleeve-like neck H by the connection l3, said closure will always have the correct position relative to the pouring opening to permit it to be replaced therein whenever the pouring opening is to be closed. j v In Figs. 9 to 11 I. have shown a different embcdiment of the invention wherein the pouring opening is formed in a raised portion of the can end rather than in a depressed portion thereof. In this embodiment of the invention the can body I has the usual can end 2 secured thereto and said can end is provided with the raised or upstanding portion I 1 which, after the can is opened, is provided with the pouring opening.-

When the can end is first made this raised portion I! .is imperforate and the pouring opening 7 may be provided by forming the roof or top I8 of the raised portion with an annular score line or line of weakness l9 so that the portion within the score line may be torn out to provide the pouring opening illustrated at 2|] in Fig. 10.

The combined pouring lip and closure member for thepouring opening presents a neck portion 2| which encircles the raised portion l1 and is preferably beaded thereto as shown at 22. This neck has a pouring lip 23 extending therefrom. 24 indicates a closure for the pouring opening which is illustrated as of the plug type latter preferably fitting the wall 25 with a tight friction fit. When the combined pouring lip and closure is assembled with the can end in the first place the bottom 26 of the closure rests against the roof or top "18 ofth'eraised portion I! and these two abutting portions are rigidly secured together in some suitable way, one way being by spot welding as shown at 21.

The connection between the neck 2| and the raised portion l4 is such that the neck will be retained on the sleeve-like neck, and because said closure is per- .manentlysecured to the portion I8 01 the can end which is circumscribed line of weakness I! theremoval ortheclomre llircmtheopming has thus been formed the sleeve-like neck 2i with the pouring opening and closure will be turned around from the position shown in Fig. 9 into the position shown in Fig. 10 wherein the pouring lip extends over the edge of the can. The contents of the can may then be entirely or partially discharged by pouring it over the pouring lip 23, and if it is desired to discharge only a portion of the can contents then when the required amount has been poured out the closure 24 may be replaced in the pouring opening 20, and because said closure fits the wall 25 with a tight friction fit the replacement of the closure will again seal the can.

The hinge part 29 flexes as the closure is removed from or replaced into the pouring opening but because this hinge portion 29 does not have any sharp bend it will withstand repeated flexures without breakage.

In this embodiment of the invention, therefore, there is provided a pouring lip for the pouring opening and a closure for the pouring opening which is perman ntly secured to the can and which can be repeatedly removed from and replaced into the pouring opening.

In this invention the closure 8 or 24 not only serves to close the pouring opening but also serves to lock the pouring lip from turning movement. It has been stated above that the closure 8 fits the neck I i with a tight friction fit and this friction fit is sufficient so that when the closure plug is forced into the sleeve-like neck II for closing the pouring opening said neck will be expanded slightly and thus frictionally locked to the wall ll thus preventing the pouring lip from turning. Hence, when the plug is in position to close the pouring opening the pouring lip is held from turning movement.

In the construction shown in Figs. 9 to 11 the pouring opening is closed by forcin the plug 24 into the upper portion 25 of the sleeve-like neck of the pouring lip. The operation of forcing the plug into the wall 25 serves to-clamp the lower.

edge of the neck 2| more firmly about the upstanding wall I! thereby frictionally locking the pouring lip from turning movement.

While I have illustrated herein constructions in which the closure plug is hingedly connected to the pouring lip, yet so far as the feature of locking the pouring lip from turning by inserting the plug into the neck thereof is concerned it is not necessary that the plug should be hinged to the pouring lip.

I claim:

1. A can having one end thereof deformed to present an annular wall extending at right angles to the can end, the portion of the can end within said wall being provided with an annular line of weakness, a sleeve member concentric with said wall and beaded thereto, and a closure member hingedly connected to the sleeve memher and permanently connected to the portion of the can end surrounded by the line of weakness whereby said portion of the can end may be tom free thereby forming a pouring opening by application of force to the closure member.

2. A can having one end thereof deformed to present an annular wall extending at right angles to the can end, the portion of the can end within said wall being provided with an annular line of weakness, a sleeve member concentric with said wall and beaded thereto, and a closure member hingedly connected to said sleeve memher and having a friction fittherein and also being permanently connected to the portion of closed by reseating the closure member within the sleeve member.

3. A can having one end thereof deformed to present an annular wall extending at right angles to the can end, the portion of the can end within said wall being provided with an annular line of weakness, a sleeve member concentric with said wall and beaded thereto, a pouring lip extending from the sleeve member, and a closure member hingedly connected to the sleeve member and permanently connected to the portion of the can end surrounded by the line of weakness whereby said portion of the can end may be torn free thereby forming a pouring opening by application of force to the closure member.

4. A can having at its end a pouring opening with a cylindrical annular wall surrounding said opening, a pouring lip having a cylindrical neck concentric with said wall and turnable relative thereto, and a closure for the pouring opening integrally connected to the cylindrical neck by a flexible connecting portion which permits the closure to have a swinging movement to open and close the pouring opening.

5. A can having at its end a pouring opening with a cylindrical annular wall surrounding said opening, a pouring lip having a cylindrical neck concentric with said wall and turnable relative thereto, and a closure of the friction plug type fitting the neck with 'a tight friction fit and integrally connected to said neck by a flexible connecting portion which permits the closure to have a swinging movement to open and close the pouring opening.

6. A can having one end thereof deformed to present an annular wall extending at right angles to the can end, the portion of the can end within said wall being provided with an annularv line of weakness, a sleeve member concentric with said wall and beaded thereto, a pouring lip extending from the sleeve member, and a closure member hingedly connected to said sleeve member and having a friction fit therein and also being permanently connected to the portion of the can end circumscribed by the line of weakness whereby the application of force to said closure member results in tearing the can end along the line of weakness thereby forming a pouring opening which may be {subsequently closed by reseating the closure member within the sleeve member. v

HARRY SEBELL. 

